This invention relates to a simulated skeleton having three dimensional pieces that look like bones or bone masses, such as the hands, feet, body portions, etc., where the detail of individual bones is not needed for relative movement. The individual pieces of the simulated skeleton are connected together so that they may be moved relative to one another and positioned in a selected posture or pose. The poses permit the skeleton to appear to be in the process of some movement, standing in a particular posture, sitting, or the like. These effects are achieved by providing adjustable joints between moveable bone masses which connect the simulated bones together but permit relative movements to selected positions. The parts will maintain their position relative to one another once set, until further readjustment.
Although the invention was developed for use in the posable skeleton, some of the structure is more broadly useful in human mannequin or animal representations. In this regard, the joints in particular have wider application as do the construction of bone and/or body parts.
In the prior art, mannequins and animated creatures of various types have been simulated in various types of posable configurations. These configurations may involve various types of pin connections which allow some relative movement but often require tightening of screws, or the like, to hold the movable parts in the selected position. Skeletons and other Halloween creatures have tended to be even simpler, usually two dimensional pieces of cardboard held together by fasteners which permit relative movement of the parts.
Although it is true that skeletons have been made for medical and teaching purposes, because of the need for anatomical correctness these structure are often not provided with joints which permit posability.
This invention concerns a posable human skeleton, or other animated creatures, which can be used for decorative purposes and which allows positioning of parts in a natural way. When set in a selected desired position the parts do not need to be further adjusted and, absent external forces, will retain that set position until later repositioning. This result is achieved by use of joints which hold the parts together but yield to rotational repositioning forces and permit repositioning at many discrete rotational positions.
The invention also relates to a joint connecting adjacent relatively rotatable body parts having opposed toothed joint members in which are arranged generally radially directed interfitting teeth. The teeth are shaped to inhibit rotation when the teeth are together at rest and to permit rotation under rotational forces applied to the body parts which necessarily require relative axial movement of the teeth in order to move the rotationally opposed toothed members. Means is provided to assure axial alignment of the toothed joint members. Means is provided normally urging the teeth together, but such that the members are axially yieldable under rotational force to permit relative rotation of the body parts.
The rotatable members may be supported such that one of the rotatable members can move axially relative to the other, and resilient means is interposed between the means holding the rotatable members together such that the resilient means will be able to yield under axial pressure applied to the teeth as body parts are moved from one position to another. Resilient means, may be a spring, such as a compression spring, urging the rotatable toothed members together, or it may be a washer of resilient compressible material, or it may be the inherent resiliency of the material of which the toothed members themselves are made.
The invention also relates to means for mechanically attaching the rotatable toothed members to the body parts or skeleton bone pieces, and involves flanged means integral with the rotatable toothed member, such as a flange simultaneously cast of the same material or having a flanged member otherwise rigidly attached and of a non-circular shape, with lateral surfaces which conform in shape to a cavity in the body part to assure that rotation cannot occur between the body part and the rotatable toothed member.
Also in this invention body parts may be made in two pieces, or possibly more, each of which is a precision molded cast hollow piece such that when the pieces are assembled together, they constitute a lightweight limb or body part. Each of the hollow pieces has narrow edges which fit matching edges of the other hollow pieces of the limb or body part. Cooperating alignment means are provided at least in spaced positions around the edges, on the opposed edges, to assure that when the alignment means are engaged, the edges of the pieces fit together properly.
These alignment parts in a preferred embodiment are integrally molded parallel pins on one piece and molded holes properly positioned to snugly receive the pins.
Finally, at least one connection means engages opposed points on the pieces intermediate the edges to hold those pieces together. Typically, this connection means is one or more screws and integral structures such bosses cast on the body part internally at the hollow to receive and guide each screw in one piece and direct it to engage a threaded hole on the other piece. When the screw or screws are tightened they pull the pieces together. Such an arrangement of pieces conveniently permits construction of the skeleton or mannequin such that when the pieces are assembled, the appropriate joint flange for that bone or part can be put into position and held there as the pieces are tightened together. The pieces themselves and the joint flange, if desired, may be glued to aid in holding the structure together.
More specifically, the present invention relates to a simulated skeleton comprising pieces representing collectively the various bone groups of each of the hands and feet; the pelvis and lower spine; and the rib cage, shoulders, upper spine and neck bones. Unitary pieces represent bones or groups of bones, including upper and lower arm bones and upper and lower leg bones in the skeleton. Connections are provided between various bones allowing relative rotation between connected parts. Connections include a pair of relatively rotatable radially toothed members each connected to a bone simulating piece. Means are provided defining an axis about which each toothed member rotates but which permit linear axial movement to allow the interfitting teeth of the toothed members to engage each other and restrain the pieces against relative rotation. Resilient means urge the pieces together but yield to rotational forces which drive apart the toothed members to permit rotation.